Seattle Public Schools just sent an announcement of several principal changes around the district. One affects West Seattle: Cindy Nash is the new principal of Middle College, an alternative program with three campuses including one at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge. She spent the last five years as principal of the district’s Interagency Academy, another alternative program with multiple sites, including the Learning Center at Southwest Youth and Family Services in North Delridge. No other direct West Seattle effects in the principal changes announced tonight, but there’s a principal change at The Center School at Seattle Center, which we’ve been told has more than a few West Seattle students: Lisa Escobar is leaving to become co-principal at Rainier Beach; Judy Peterson will serve as interim principal. Here’s the full district news release on everything announced tonight:

Seattle Superintendent Names New Principals
Announces Leaders for Three Schools Opening in Fall 2010 and Several High School Appointments

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson has announced the appointment of principals to the three schools that will be opening in Fall 2010: Green Lake Elementary Principal Cheryl Grinager will become principal at McDonald Elementary; Coe Elementary Principal David Elliott will be the new principal at Old Hay School, and John Hay Principal Dan Warren will become principal at Sand Point Elementary.

Grinager, Elliott and Warren will continue as principals at their current schools while working with members of their respective new school communities in preparation for the 2010 school openings

“I am excited to announce the appointment of three experienced, trusted leaders, who will work closely with the educational program design teams for each of these schools,” said Dr. Goodloe-Johnson. “I appreciate the community’s enthusiasm and ideas regarding McDonald, Old Hay and Sand Point, and I am confident that the principals appointed today will lead these schools to ensure a great start in the 2010-11 school year.”

Grinager has served 10 years as principal at Green Lake Elementary, where she has worked to create an inclusive community involving a number of students with special education needs, including those who are medically fragile. Prior to joining Seattle Public Schools, she spent 13 years as an elementary school teacher and administrator in California. Grinager received a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama and an advanced degree in educational administration from San Jose State University. McDonald Elementary will open at an interim site in fall 2010 at the former Lincoln High School and remain there until 2012, when it is scheduled to move into the renovated McDonald building.

Elliott has been principal at Coe Elementary for 10 years, and prior to that served as a teacher at Bryant, Greenwood and Northgate elementary schools. Elliott’s time at Coe included overseeing Coe’s move to an interim site and then moving back to the renovated building – an experience that will prove valuable in his new assignment. Old Hay – an Option School that will offer both general education and Montessori programs — will open at the former Lincoln High School as an interim site in 2010 – sharing that space for a year with McDonald Elementary – and return to the renovated Old Hay building in Fall 2011. Elliott graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in sociology and received his masters in educational administration from Western Washington University.

Warren, in his fifth year as principal at John Hay, will start his new appointment in the Sand Point Elementary building, which will open this fall. Warren also taught sixth-grade social studies for three years at Meany Middle School and served as assistant principal at Catharine Blaine K-8 for three and a half years. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history at Washington State University, masters in teaching at Whitworth College, and received his principal certification through the prestigious University of Washington’s Danforth Program.

High School Appointments

Changes have also been announced for principals at the high school level, with Center School Principal Lisa Escobar named as co-principal at Rainier Beach High School along with current Rainier Beach Principal Dr. Robert Gary. Judy Peterson will serve as interim principal at the Center School.

Escobar has spent 12 years as a teacher and 10 years in administration at the middle school and high school levels in Seattle, Issaquah and California. She received a bachelor’s degree in health science from Chico State University and a master’s degree in special education from San Jose State University, where her focus was on engaging Spanish-speaking parents in the IEP (individualized education program) process. She received her administrative credential from Chico State.

Dr. Gary has been principal at Rainier Beach since fall 2006 and was assistant principal at the school from 1997-2006. Before coming to Rainier Beach, Gary taught at Madison Middle School for 5 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, his teacher’s certification from Seattle University, a master’s from Western Washington University, and a doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University.

“Progress has been made over the past several years at Rainier Beach,” said Dr. Goodloe-Johnson. “This has been possible due to Dr. Gary’s leadership and to the hard work of students, staff and families working closely together. We are committed to continuing to invest in the success of Rainier Beach High School. Thinking differently about the leadership model at the school will help support the work required to ensure Rainier Beach is an excellent school.”

Dr. Goodloe-Johnson also announced principal appointments for two high school-level safety net schools: Cindy Nash, principal of the Interagency Academy, has been appointed to serve as principal at Middle College, replacing Dr. John German, who retired at the end of December. Susan Derse will serve as interim Interagency Academy principal until a permanent appointment is announced.

Nash, who served as Interagency Academy principal since 2005, has extensive experience as a teacher and an administrator, including 20 years in classroom and administrative positions at Seattle Public Schools. A graduate of Roosevelt High School, she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz; a master’s in education and a teaching certificate from the University of Washington; and an administrative credential from Antioch University

Ms. Derse has more than 20 years of experience as a high school principal, and for the past two years has been working in a central office role supporting all high schools, including safety net schools such as Interagency. She served as the principal at Garfield and West Seattle high schools, and has previously led schools in the Shoreline and Kent school districts. She also has three years experience as a high school assistant principal in California and Alaska, and two years as a middle school principal in Alaska. Ms. Derse earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Wisconsin, a Masters degree in Bilingual Cross-Cultural Education at the University of San Francisco, and a Masters degree in Educational Administration at San Francisco State University.

Families and staff at Coe, Green Lake and John Hay elementary schools and The Center School will be notified when a hiring timeline for a new principal has been developed. The first step will be for instructional directors to meet with the school community to identify the desired qualities and characteristics for their school leader.